Health information technology safety: The perfect storms

摘要

Throughout history, significant innovations have been associated with new perils. The discovery of fire significantly advanced the global migration of people, allowing them to move to and survive in colder climates and for long periods of time. Fire also brought about the destruction of crops and housing structures as well as injury and death to people and animals. Similarly, cars and planes greatly enhanced the mobility of people and goods but also generated new modes of accidents, injury, and death. This Technology Today article examines the innovation of health information technology (HIT) and the accompanying improvements focused on increasing safety issues. It also introduces a convergence of factors that create HIT-enabled perfect storms. Health information technologies are, in part, intended to remove safety risks and minimize hazards in health care. Enhanced safety being realized as a result of HIT includes elimination of illegibility issues in paper medical records, greater and more ready access to information, assistance with calculations, better care coordination, and clinical decision support. Despite these benefits, unintended consequences of HIT use occur.